Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light - Hardcover

Berman, Bob

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316311308 ISBN 13: 9780316311304

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2017

Synopsis

Invisible light is everywhere. As you read this you are being swarmed by microwaves from your cell phone. Step outside and you'll get a dose of ultraviolet and infrared from the sun. Go on vacation and you submit to a full body security scan at the airport. Cell towers, tanning salons, microwave ovens, CT scans, mammogram machines, saunas, nuclear power plants - all are emitting radiation in your general direction. What effect is it having?

An accessible blend of narrative history and science, INVISIBLE LIGHT tells the story of the unseen energies all around us, tracing infrared, microwaves, ultraviolet, X-rays and other forms of radiation from their historic discoveries and oft-misguided early uses to their health costs (and benefits) in our daily lives. With a unique talent for making science relatable and fun, Bob Berman hunts for leftover light rays from the universe's birth, explores the consequences of our newest technologies, looks at how invisible light affects the brain, and even spends time with scientists attempting to detect broadcasts from extraterrestrials.

Lively, informative, and packed with "eureka moment" stories, INVISIBLE LIGHT will delight anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of our world.

About this title

About the Author

Bob Berman, one of America's top astronomy writers, is the author of Zoom and The Sun's Heartbeat. He contributed the popular "Night Watchman" column for Discover for seventeen years and is currently a columnist for Astronomy, a host on Northeast Public Radio, and the science editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac. He lives in Willow, New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316311308
• ISBN 13: 9780316311304
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336